Federal government to consider banning gas stoves with ‘hidden hazards’

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Rudy Gardner has been cooking with gas for as long as she can remember.

“My biggest cooking is during the holidays,” the Orange Mound mother told FOX13′s Consumer reporter Kate Bieri.

The 67-year-old doesn’t cook every day, but when she cooks a family recipe, her adult kids can’t get enough of it.

“They love it so much – there’s nothing left here!” she laughed. “No leftovers!”

The Consumer Product Safety Commission is exploring the effects of ‘harmful’ chemicals like nitrogen dioxide emitted by gas stoves across the country.

“Breathing them in can have really serious health outcomes,” Commissioner Rich Trumka Jr. told FOX13.

The federal agency will ask for public comment this winter.

The commissioner said the CPSC may consider banning the new production of gas stoves.

“These things that have just been part of our lives for so long – you stop looking at them for a potential risk,” he explained. “You assume they’re safe over a certain period of time, and if they’re not, those are hidden hazards.

About 40% of United States homes have gas stoves, according to Bloomberg.

For families that purchase an electric stove, the Inflation Reduction Act offers an $840 rebate.

Gardner told FOX13 that she can’t afford a new stove now.

However, she looks forward to upgrading her appliance when she can.

“I’m dealing with this until I can afford a new one,” she said. “I just believe that God will bless.”

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